Give us some advice

You guys have been great sources of information in the past — and yes, I know technically that’s my job — so I thought I’d ask if any of you had feedback in either of these two areas:

1. We’re getting ready to start replacing our windows. I know one person who used Windows by Anderson, and I know Sears offers the service. Are there any other companies you’d suggest we check out?

2. Patches is indeed diabetic. We have her on Hill’s Science Prescription Diet M/D, which is $47.99 for an eight-and-a-half pound bag. We bought a bag, but I thought I’d see if there are other (potentially more affordable) glucose-control foods you’d recommend.

Thanks, I’ll see if maybe they have one for cats too. And yes, I love discounted PETCO GCs. I don’t think I’ve found them quite as cheap as you have. The highest I generally see is 12-16%, and the higher end is usually in-store only which means higher in-store pricing. So I get them at about 12% off, then go through cash back sites for an extra 5% plus lower online prices.

Aww, I’m sorry to hear about Patches. Yikes, that’s a hefty price for special cat food, but hopefully the little furball will feel a little better. I don’t have advice for the kitty food, but for windows I’d recommend checking out any local companies. Many times mom-and-pop operations will do window installation more cheaply. Just make sure they’re licensed and insured.Mrs. Picky Pincher recently posted…Moving Tips On A Budget

All I can say is that I had an Andersen person come out to my house to give a quote one time, and they were /very/ pushy. They wanted a contract for a very large sum signed immediately “so you can get the discount.” I actually had to tell them repeatedly that I’d rather not take the discount it if it meant I didn’t have time to research further and reflect upon the decision before making a commitment. I don’t normally remember customer interactions I had 5+ years ago… but this one was bad.

I ended up not replacing the windows at all– an independent guy looked at the windows and said that I could get by for at least a few more years with replacing the weather stripping.

Well, these are, I’m pretty sure, the original windows for the house — aluminum siding, rattling in said siding sometimes — so they definitely need to go. But I’ll keep the pushiness thing in mind. And/or make sure they’re the company I talk to last about this.

I actually had a Sears guy pull something similar a few years ago when I was trying to get a ballpark of what they’d cost. He kept pushing and saying they only gave the discount the first time. Especially with a big company like Sears, I was pretty sure I could always get a discount if I made it clear that was the only reason I was buying. But still, it’s exhausting to have to say no at least 7 times. He wouldn’t even take, “We don’t have the money right now. It’s not going to happen.” at face value.

Okay, when we moved into our house, we were dealing with aluminum framed windows that sucked when it came to temperature and noise reduction. The UV films helped in the summer but cold was still a problem. We looked around and went with Anderson. We are very happy with our windows and the installation guys we’re on time, polite, and neat. When we re-fied, the appraiser specifically noted the windows.

Glucose control cat foods. Fun fact- Science Diet isn’t that great on nutrition and ingredient quality. People get tricked into thinking that it’s better because it’s sold through veterinary offices but it’s the equivalent of a product you can only find in salons. Often the exclusivity isn’t worth the higher price tag due to mediocre quality. Second fun fact- there is essentially no research into benefits of “glucose control” cat foods. Pretty much everything comes from the pet food companies and there are no third party verifications done. Yeah, I know- not exactly helpful but there are some solutions.

-Grain free weight management pet foods are going to be your best bet. Low in carbohydrates means there’s less for her body to process into sugar. Other ingredients that you should look out for- fruits, plant based fillers, and charmingly nebulous ingredients such as ‘soy protein.” Cats are obligate carnivores and require a meat based diet. Decent quality meat is expensive and it’s relatively easy to dress up adding fruits and vegetables under the guise of “balanced nutrition.” Lions don’t hit the salad bar and your cat doesn’t need to. The one exception to this is a small amount of pumpkin- adapting to and eating a fully meat based diet can cause some cats to experience constipation. A little pumpkin and foods that contain fats as well as a lot of protein can help with this.

-While it may seem impractical with a puppy in the house, Patches will probably do best on a wet food only diet. A high quality wet food has a lot of benefits- if you follow the ingredient restrictions, you will often find that wet food has higher quality meats. The other thing is that wet foods do encourage better water intake in cats- something that’s really good for diabetic felines.

-That being said, ingredient lists and good pet food won’t mean much if you don’t follow the biggest rule when it comes to weight and glucose reduction tool. Portion control. We pet lovers have a tendency to over feed our animals. This is especially true of carnivores and really true of kibble fed carnivores. Pet food companies do not help reduce this- their feeding guidelines often vastly overestimate how much food a pet should eat and encourage things like constant access to food. Most carnivores will glut themselves on food because they may not have access later. Talk to your vet about reasonable portions for Patches weight, size, and activity level. Offering smaller meals at scheduled times and taking up the food when your cat walks away is often the best way to get a cat’s eating under control.

If you and your vet believe that Patches should have some kibble in her diet, I really like Nulo- it’s grain free, has an amazing reputation, and our cats do really well on it. I buy 12 lb bags on Amazon for 31 dollars and you can find more specified diets from them at Pet Smart. If Nulo doesn’t work out for you, Instinct is a close runner up- really short ingredient list, no fillers, but it is more expensive. For wet foods, I like Ziwipeak, Tiki Cat, and Weruva. They all have a really high animal protein content and good quality ingredients. If Patches experiences higher levels of urinary problems (bladder irritation, bladder infections, cystitis) look for low ash contents and reduce her intake of fish based foods.

First of all, ike you we have aluminum framed windows. They’re awful. So I’ll definitely make sure Anderson is one of our calls.

Second, the second-to-last vet we talked to said that current studies seem to favor a mix of wet and dry to avoid renal problems down the road. I kind of trust the assessment because in the same breath she said a) they don’t know why, they just know that cats with that mix have much lower rates of renal issues and b) that yep science has flip-flopped multiple times but she does believe the current studies. So yes, we’ll probably start her on a mix.

Currently, we’re having Pandora outside while Patches is eating. Or on her bed. Or in another room. Just nowhere close to Patches, essentially. And once Patches finishes, we put the bowl up. We learned that one the hard way because Pandora snarfled up a half cup of food in the couple of minutes I was zoning out.

Thanks for the info about the food. I’ll see if I can get Tim to agree to a non-glucose management food. The vet did say low carbs was the key. We had her on Blue Buffalo, grain-free. But we finally put two and two together and realized her really, really, REALLY horrible dandruff started a few weeks after we put her on the stuff. (Please don’t tell me it’s not good at all. We just bought five bags of the stuff for Pandora, and I got an amazing deal *and* she’s tolerating it fine. So I plan on just switching her in about six months. At that point, she should be off puppy food anyway.)

Patches has definitely been eating a lot of the kibble in the last couple of days. But to be fair I think she’s at least a pound underweight. According to the bag, she should have 5/8 cup a day for weight management. After going all night without food, she ate two 1/4 cup portions within 90 minutes. She slowed down since, but I think we’ll definitely need to keep an eye on how much we feed her. Don’t want her to get too overweight again. The eight-lb bag should last at least a month, but once we’re starting to get low, I’ll look into the brand you mentioned.

I’m confused on who has dandruff. But if its the dog.. 🙂 My dog is part lab/shepherd/something else adorable mix. Anyway, coconut oil in the food solved it and worked like magic. Suggested by vet and the dog loves it. Leaves the pads of the feet soft as well. Apparently it puts something back in the dogs diet that is not there in manufactured food.

… coconut oil can be very strong laxative for cats. Unless you’re giving a small amount for that reason, or a small amount of it is in a food recommended by a vet, coconut oil is not a good idea for cats. Admittedly, I have a distaste for the coconut oil fad- it’s fairly nasty for the environment, the high demand is causing economic problems in areas where it’s harvested, and there are plenty of healthy fats that don’t have either issue. That being said, it’s still a laxative when it comes to felines.

Cats and dogs very different animals. Dogs aren’t obligate carnivores- they are better at tolerating more plant based nutrition as part of a balanced diet. Cats are obligate carnivores- they generally do much better on a diet that relies on animal based nutrition. If you’re going to supplement her diet with a healthy fat, your best bet is going to be something like wild salmon oil. Usual fish oil doesn’t have the same benefit, you can find wild salmon oil pretty easily, and it will be better tolerated by a cat. The only thing to remember is that it can spoil, especially with Arizona’s temperatures, so keep it in the fridge. Then again, you have to be careful storing high quality pet food for the same reason- the higher levels of meat and animal based fats mean it does need to be kept at a stable and moderate temperature.

Blue Buffalo is a good brand. If Pandora is tolerating it, there is no reason to switch. Different pets do better in different foods. It’s why I always try to give a few options. Why I say try Nulo first is that it has a lot of protein and a low carb/low glycemic index nutrition profile.

I don’t have cats, but I do have a large dog with severe allergies so I can empathize with the cost of specialty diets. I used dog food advisor to find his food, but a quick google search didn’t turn up an equivalent for cat food. 🙁

I do know that cats are obligate omnivores (unlike humans and dogs) meaning that they get their necessary nutrients from meat and fat and very little to none from carbs. However, the way that dried pet food is made carbs (aka vegetables) are used to help bind everything together. The extra carbs would also not be good for Patches’s diabetes. I don’t know about the cost in comparison, but it would seem to reason that canned food may have lower carb content.

Yes, we were told by the vet who initially saw her (when we thought maybe it was an overactive thyroid) and the vet who diagnosed diabetes both said low carb is the way to go. I need to investigate options, but we’ll probably put her on a wet/dry food mix soon. Current studies apparently indicate that cats with that mix have fewer renal issues, so I don’t think we’ll wean her completely off dry. But you’re right that wet would definitely make it easier to keep the carbs down.

Our new windows (almost 2 years old now) are a sub brand of Andersen, I think it’s called American standard or something like that. Very happy with them and they meet all the crazy Florida building codes. We got them at Home Depot as a special order. Super easy and we didn’t even bother having a sales guy come out since we installed them ourselves.

My in laws are window shopping rght now and fwiw, had a horrible experience with the Sears sales guy. Apparently they were somehow too polite to tell him to GTFO and he stayed at their house until about 9pm. It was a 4+’hour visit from a window salesman. They both complained about it for days, and the worst part was that their prices weren’t even that great.Mrs PoP recently posted…PoP Balance Sheet – February 2017

We used Andersen windows when we added on to the house 10+ years ago and they’ve been fine. They took forever to get in because the guy at Home Depot didn’t check the box that said we were aware the special order would take a few weeks, so they were never ordered. I liked the configuration we got better anyway. We found our electrician through Angie’s List and loved them. We asked for a recommendation for a plumber at a local plumbing supply store and have used the guy they recommended several times now. Our general contractor highly recommended Andersen windows and had a very low opinion of the Sears installers. Fwiw.

We met with an Anderson salesperson who wasn’t too bad — but their prices were quite high. They did offer occasional discounts and sales, but still not that impressed.

I wouldn’t trust Sears any further than I could spit.

We replaced our windows with double-paned Vanguard brand. Not only did it make a real difference in how much highway sound we get (we live on a large hill above I-25 in Colorado), but our heating bills went down big-time.

The price was not only reasonable, but we could have the windows done in sessions (3 total, I believe), so we could save up for the next batch’s purchase. And if there were any problems — there were a few small adjustments needed — they came back and fixed them. No extra cost. These are friendly, professional people who are finicky about getting you the best deal at the best service. I was very impressed…and I am not easily impressed with salespeople or installers!

We used Prestige in Denver — the guy in the middle of the photo here was our salesman. (See https://www.yelp.com/biz/prestige-products-window… ) I’m aware that you live in Arizona, but they may do work there. At the least, they could make recommendations.

A word of caution on the windows. Please do some research on the “pay back” on windows…not good. Perhaps window tinting and some maintenance would suffice. I will share my windows are “original” Andersons and almost 60 years old….

I’ll look into it, but at least the big window in front is old and rattles in the frame sometimes.

The windows in the house are all north/south facing and in shadow from our roof overhang. They get no direct sunlight, so tinting wouldn’t do much. Maybe we just need better seals around the things, but they really do look pretty battered.

Also, we’re hoping it’ll cut down on some noise pollution, but I’ll research how much that helps too.

Try K&J Windows (http://kjwindows.com/). It’s been several years since they installed mine. I did a lot of research, discovered a lot of scam artists, was not pleased with HD’s offerings. Eventually came across this guy through Angie’s List (I think). Price was fair. He did not lie to me (as was the case with one of his competitors), he appeared to be pretty honest, and his guys did an excellent job.

But do be skeptical. If you’re not making the change for security but think it will help with your AC bills, the money may be better spent on sealing your air vents. That’s where most air-conditioning escapes.Funny about Money recently posted…Coming Out of the Coma?

I’m pretty sure we sealed the vents when we did the insulation, but I’d have to have someone come check.

Security would be nice, and yes A/C concerns are there. But also noise. You’ve picked Mom up, so you may have heard the kids’ shrieks from the park. And the noise from the cars. I’ll check, but I’m pretty sure new windows would help that.

Kat is totally right on the cat food: more wet, less dry, and if you must use some dry get a grain-free. That Hill’s prescription cat food is very poor quality and is essentially cat junk food. My cats gained weight when they were on the kind that was supposed to prevent bladder crystals. They’ve been off it for years, and no more bladder crystals. Look for wet (or dry) food that does not contain wheat gluten, corn gluten and contains actual real meat. I use the Publix brand, but when I was in Kansas City there was another store brand that appeared to be the same food.

I just did a big story on windows that has not yet been published. Here are the takeaways:

1. Installing new windows in most cases does not pay off in energy savings. My house has 47-year-old aluminum awning windows and I am not changing them. Assuming Arizona is like Florida, any east and west windows will let in more sun than north and south ones, so keep that in mind.

2. Picking the right installer is more important than picking the right windows. Look for lifestime warranties (and ask what happens if the company goes out of business) and certitications from Energy Star, The National Fenestration Ratings Council, The American Window and Door Institute and The American Architectural Manufacturers Association.

3. Windows salespeople use high-pressure sales tactics. Run from companies who insist your husband be with you for the presentation (you may want him there, but what you don’t want is to be pressured into signing right away rather than shopping around). You want to find a company that is going to send a window professional, not a salesperson, out to meet with you and advise you on options. That will probably be a smaller local company, not a national chain and not a company that does a lot of advertising. Say no to any company that wants you to sign right away to get a “deal.” If there are any companies with showrooms, that’s a good opportunity to see windows and ask questions without being pressured to buy immediately. You want to get at least three bids and compare them, though comparing the actual windows will be hard because, for example, Anderson makes lots of windows of different type and quality.

We have north/south windows that are in shade from the roof. But they still give off a lot of heat. Also, we’re hoping it could dampen some of the noise from the park. But I’ll be sure to look into it and ask whoever comes out.

And I’d cancel any appointment where they insist Tim be there. I don’t need that kind of condescension.

We used Angie’s List to find new windows and chose four companies to give us a quote. Renewal by Anderson was very aggressive and expensive, Pella was rather negative about other companies in the area, and two local companies were both very informative and positive. We chose one of the local companies with an A plus rating from Angie’s List and the windows are great!

Have you tried some of the blackout/insulating curtains? I use eclipse curtains and they help with the heat, and I think they help a little with the noise too. They don’t really help with my ugly windows, but I can’t see them from the inside when the curtains are drawn. I got the woven ones that don’t have plastic backing. The plastic ones fell apart when we lived in Florida, but the woven ones are still fine ten years later.

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